James Marshall had a work crew camped on the American River near Sacramento, California in January of 1848. The crew was building a saw mill for John Sutter. On January 24, Marshall found a few tiny gold nuggets.  Thus began one of the largest human migrations in history as a half-million people form around the world descended upon California in search of instant wealth.

Before the gold rush, California was largely populated by missionaries and Native Americans. The total populations of California was about 200 non-natives. By late 1849 there were about 15,000 people, and in 1850 about 20,000 people. By 1853 there were over 300,000 people living in California.

This piece of ephemera could be used in elementary, middle, or high school classrooms studying history and social studies. Changes over time would be an obvious unit that an educator could utilize this piece, as well as learning about westward expansion and the gold rush in general.